1. Field of the Invention
The present invention in general relates to the field of multimedia applications. The present invention involves the use of mobile phones with camera functionality, including both mobile phones, smart phones, etc.; handheld devices with a camera, desktop applications, network connectivity, etc.; and desktop devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC). More particularly, this invention relates to a method of interactive video blogging.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patent publication number (WO/2004/102855), titled “Content Publishing Over Mobile Networks” discloses a system for using mobile phones to generate instant messages and permanent text publishing, images and audio files as mobile web logs (hereinafter, “mBlogs”) over mobile networks. The system allows a user to generate and publish text, and attach image files and audio files with a time and location of an event as a non-revocable and integral part of the published content. Users are allowed to view and interact with the published content with mobile phones over mobile networks. The system allows for sorting of content by category and by indexing the material by the operator of a mobile network, and allows the users of mBlogs to search for content by category as well as by indexing. Furthermore, the system allows users to subscribe to mBlogs as multimedia messages for viewing on mobile phones over mobile networks.
The current approach allows users to create web logs (hereinafter, “blogs”) from mobile devices and/or PCs with still images & text. Other users can also participate in blogging by adding text comments or still images. Blogging does not allow adding information in the form of audio-video as a blog or adding audio video comments or a combination of text, audio, and video comment from mobile devices and/or PCs.
The current approach to video blogging is inefficient & does not allow a user to express his/her views in interactive ways as video blogs lack methods to co-relate user comments and original content.
Entering text as a comment is difficult & cumbersome, particularly if a user is using a handheld device like a mobile phone. The process of entering text as a comment consumes a lot of a user's time. It is difficult to associate text comments with specific portion of video blog. Allowing users to insert audio/video comments in adds more value and meaning, which is not possible with the current approach.
The information or comments added by other users in a video blog are just sequentially listed, and there is no mechanism currently available to co-relate user comments and a specific portion of the original video blog. A user may wish to add his/her audio, video or text comment with respect to specific point in an original video, while watching the original video. But currently, there is no available method that allows users to create audio, video or text comments with respect to a specific portion of the video or inserting comment at specific time while watching.
Original blog & comments added by other participants are inseparable. All comments are placed sequentially and every comment or information added by any user becomes an integral part of the blog, which increases the size of the blog, depending on the number of participating users and the information added by each user.
Users have no ability to see the comments added by various users with respect to specific portions or instant moments of the original blog. The user cannot see the added comments interleaved with the original blog with respect to time and content, keeping the original blog and comments as separate entities.
Users must download/stream a complete blog having original content and comments added by all users every time the user wants to watch or participate in the blog.
As a video blog size grows depending on the number of participating user and the content added by the users, users who participate late feel a burden of uploading and downloading/streaming the video blog. The downloads and streams overload the server and network, and consume user time and money.
A user has no option of selecting specific comments of his/her interest made on his/her favorite video blog. The user must download/stream and watch complete blog in order to see who has commented on the blog. He needs to download/stream and watch the complete blog in order to see just one comment added by a friend.
A user has no option to select particular comments and watch/play the selected particular comments directly.
Currently there is no mechanism or method available that allows a user to insert a comment (text, audio, or audio-video) on an original blog and upload only the inserted comment. The user must upload the original blog, all previous comments, and the new comment inserted by the user.
Currently there is no mechanism or method available that allows a user to insert comments (text, audio, audio-video) on original blog instantaneously and upload only comments associated with a specific portion or a specific instant of the original video blog.
Currently there is no mechanism or method available, which allows a user to see an original blog and all comments (text, audio, or audio-video) inserted separately by various users (each comment is a separate entity).
Currently there is no mechanism or method available that allows a user to view an original blog and all comments (text, audio, audio-video) on the original blog separately associated with a specific portion, or a specific instant of the original video blog.
Currently there is no mechanism or method available that allows a user to see original blog and all comments (text, audio, or audio-video) on the original blog, add a comment to a comment (a comment of one user associated with another user's comment) separately associated with a specific portion or a specific instant of the original video blog, or add a comment to the original video blog.
Currently there is no method that allows a user to see original blog and each comment (text, audio, or audio-video) added by other users as a separate entity and therefore cannot download/stream the original blog along with comments of the user's choice.
A user may wish to insert a comment (text, audio, or audio-video) at a specific time while watching original blog and may want other users to see his inserted comment played at the same time while watching the video blog. The insertion of a comment while watching a blog by one user and playback of the original blog along with the inserted comment at the same time is not supported by current systems.
A user may wish to insert multiple comments in various forms (text, audio, or audio-video) at different points of time while watching an original blog and may want other users to see his inserted comments played at the same time while watching the video blog. The insertion of comments in various forms while watching the blog by one user at various points of time and playback of the original blog along with inserted comments at the same time is not supported by current systems.
A User may have a video blog along with comments made by various users in various forms like text, audio, video, but the user has no option of selecting comments by category (e.g., text, audio, audio-video etc.).
A user has no mechanism to play the comments added by a user's selection of friends. The user has no mechanism to randomly select the comments the user wishes to see.
A user may have a video blog along with comments made by various users in various forms like text, audio, video, but the user cannot select a particular comment and directly play/watch the comment.
A user may have a video blog along with comments made by various users in various forms like text, audio, video, but the user cannot select a particular comment and directly play/watch the comment along with an associated video or a specific portion of the video, etc.
The present invention addresses these needs.